Testing

Branching Out

Harcourt Assessment, one of the nation's largest test publishers,
has set up a research advisory board to help guide its in-house studies
on key topics in assessment, with the goal of launching an ongoing
series of reports that would begin appearing at the end of this year on
the company's Web site.

John Olson, who joined the San Antonio-based testing company as its
vice president for psychometrics and research services last fall, said
that in addition to helping set Harcourt's research agenda, the
five-member board would review internal proposals and research
papers.

The formation of the board reflects the goal of Harcourt's
president, Jeff Galt, to do more high- profile work in the area of
psychometrics, or the science of measuring mental functions such as
learning.

In particular, said Mr. Olson, the former director of assessment for
the Council of Chief State School Officers, the company hopes to focus
on applied research on such topics as computer-based assessment and the
testing of special populations, such as students with disabilities.

Drawing upon the advice of the board, along with Harcourt's own
experts, he asserted, will "ensure that we remain at the vanguard of
the testing industry."

"We're trying not to be project-specific or state- specific, but to
look across the board," Mr. Olson said.

The company, which is probably best known for its Stanford
Achievement Tests, is working with more than 20 states to help them
meet the accountability requirements of the federal No Child Left
Behind Act.

Members of the Harcourt Research Advisory Board are: Richard P.
Duran, a professor of education at the University of California, Santa
Barbara, who is an expert on testing English- language learners; Ronald
K. Hambleton, a professor of education at the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst, who specializes in large-scale assessment and
psychometrics; Robert L. Linn, a professor of education at the
University of Colorado at Boulder, who is widely known for his work on
testing and accountability issues; Martha L. Thurlow, the director of
the National Center on Educational Outcomes at the University of
Minnesota, who is an expert on testing students with disabilities; and
Mark R. Wilson, a professor of education at the University of
California, Berkeley, who is also well-known for his work on
psychometrics.